Abstract: A resist damage free dry-etching process is proposed. A time duration defined until bias electric power is applied is controlled according to a plasma ignition detection signal. Wafer back-side gas pressure for a certain constant time after starting of an etching process operation is set to be lower than that as to a main etching condition. Within the time duration defined after starting of the etching process operation up to a certain constant time, CxFy gas having a lower C/F ratio than that of the main etching condition is employed, or a flow rate of the CxFy gas is lowered. The above-described parameter values are controlled every wafer according to an amount of radicals contained in the plasma being monitored. A unit for preheating a wafer is installed in a wafer transporting system.

Abstract: A lithium ion secondary battery comprises a case; a positive electrode foil having a current collector foil on which a positive electrode material is coated; an negative electrode film having a current collector film on which an negative electrode material is coated; a separator sandwiched between the positive electrode film and the negative electrode film, the films and the separator being arranged in multiple layers to form a group of electrodes enclosed in the case, a positive collector disc plate connected to the positive electrode side of the group of the electrodes, and an negative collector disc plate connected to the negative electrode side of the group of the electrodes. Each of the current collector foils has a non-coated portion extended along one side of the foils, a part or the entire of the non-coated portion being exposed from a side of the separator. At least one of the collector disc plate is welded to the side of the exposed non-coated portion of the group of the electrodes.

Abstract: A driving support system includes a lane detecting unit for detecting lanes around a vehicle, a route correcting unit for correcting a route along which the vehicle is expected to travel taking into consideration an obstacle on the route after the route has been recognized by lanes detected by the lane detecting unit, and a control unit for controlling the vehicle on the basis of the positional relation between the corrected route determined by the route correcting unit and the vehicle.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus capable of processing a substrate stably for a long period of time. The plasma processing apparatus has a substrate holder disposed in a processing chamber and an electrode cover for protecting a support stage of said substrate holder, for processing a wafer placed on said support stage using a plasma generated in the processing chamber, wherein at least a surface of said electrode cover that is positioned directly below an edge of the wafer, or at least a surface of said electrode cover that comes into contact with plasma, is coated with a material having resistance to plasma and comprising Y2O3, Yb2O3 or YF3, or a mixture thereof, as its main component.

Abstract: A lithium-ion secondary battery where a current collecting member and a foil are joined to each other securely while damage of the foil is suppressed is provided. The lithium-ion secondary battery is provided with a winding group obtained by winding a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate via a separator. An end portion of a positive electrode mixture non-application portion and an end portion of a negative electrode mixture non-application portion project at an upper portion and a lower portion of the winding group, respectively. Current collecting disks 7 are disposed so as to face both end faces of the winding group, respectively. The current collecting disk 7 has projecting ridge portions 8 on a face thereof opposite to the winding group and flat face portions facing the winding group at positions corresponding to the projecting ridge portions 8. The projecting ridge portions 8 are formed radially.

Abstract: In a secondary battery, for providing a structure which can enable a welding operation even when a gap is formed between a current collecting plate and a winding assembly, recessed portions are formed in a positive current collecting plate. The recessed portions are disposed opposite to the winding assembly. A laser beam is irradiated to welding protrusions located between the recessed portions to melt the welding protrusions. Here, since the end surface of a positive electrode foil is uneven in height, the positive electrode foil does not contact the positive current collecting plate necessarily. The welding operation is performed by heating, melting, and dropping the welding protrusions by the use of a YAG laser under the welding condition of a laser power of 900 W and a welding speed 2 m/min.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus for processing a specimen placed on a table disposed inside of a processing chamber by using plasmas formed in the processing chamber in which the table is disposed. A first member is placed in contact with the specimen and a second member is disposed below the first member. A temperature control device is disposed inside the table for controlling the temperature of the outer circumferential zone and the central zone of the table to first and second temperatures, respectively. A pressure control device is also provided for controlling pressure between the surface of the table and the specimen.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus having an electrostatic chucking electrode that allows temperature control of a semiconductor wafer during etching process with high efficiency comprises: a holder stage comprising an electrode block S having a dielectric film 4 on the surface thereof and a coolant flow passage 6 therein, in which temperature control is performed while holding a semiconductor wafer W on the dielectric film on the surface of the electrode block; and a cooling cycle 50 including a compressor 52, a condenser 55, an expansion valve 53, a heat exchanger 54 having a heater built therein, and an evaporator, wherein the temperature control of the electrode block S is performed by using a direct-expansion-type temperature controller in which the electrode block S is used as the evaporator of the cooling cycle, and the coolant is directly circulated and expanded inside the electrode block.

Abstract: In a wafer processing apparatus, wafers are sequentially placed one by one on a ceramic plate of a wafer stage within a vacuum chamber. The pressure of a heat-conductive gas introduced at this time between the wafer and the ceramic plate is adjusted to control the temperature of the wafer, and the wafer is processed by use of plasma. In this case, the user can select any one of a process for regulating the pressure of the heat-conductive gas each time the wafers are sequentially placed on the wafer stage, a process for optimizing aging conditions, and a process for optimizing heater conditions so that the wafer temperature variation within lot can be reduced by performing the selected process. The selected process is performed on the basis of its conditions that are computed to determine by a control-purpose computer of the processing apparatus.

Abstract: A plasma etching apparatus is provided which can prevent corrosion of an aluminum substrate constituting an etching processing chamber or an inside component thereof, thereby avoiding a reduction in productivity due to scattering of a sprayed coating. In the plasma etching apparatus, an anodic oxide film is disposed between a ceramic sprayed coating with excellent resistance to plasma, and the etching processing chamber and the inside component thereof made of aluminum alloy. The anodic oxide film has a thickness of 5 ?m or less to have heat resistance.

Abstract: An electrostatic chuck comprising an insulating base 6, a plurality of conductive aluminum thin films 4a, 4b deposited on the surface of the base, and alumite films 2a, 2b formed by anodizing the surfaces of the conductive thin films 4a, 4b, wherein the conductive thin films 4a, 4b are each provided with a DC voltage of a different polarity so that a surface chucking a wafer 7 is electrostatically bipolar.

Abstract: In a wafer processing apparatus, wafers are sequentially placed one by one on a ceramic plate of a wafer stage within a vacuum chamber. The pressure of a heat-conductive gas introduced at this time between the wafer and the ceramic plate is adjusted to control the temperature of the wafer, and the wafer is processed by use of plasma. In this case, the user can select any one of a process for regulating the pressure of the heat-conductive gas each time the wafers are sequentially placed on the wafer stage, a process for optimizing aging conditions, and a process for optimizing heater conditions so that the wafer temperature variation within lot can be reduced by performing the selected process. The selected process is performed on the basis of its conditions that are computed to determine by a control-purpose computer of the processing apparatus.

Abstract: A resist damage free dry-etching process is proposed. A time duration defined until bias electric power is applied is controlled according to a plasma ignition detection signal. Wafer back-side gas pressure for a certain constant time after starting of an etching process operation is set to be lower than that as to a main etching condition. Within the time duration defined after starting of the etching process operation up to a certain constant time, CxFy gas having a lower C/F ratio than that of the main etching condition is employed, or a flow rate of the CxFy gas is lowered. The above-described parameter values are controlled every wafer according to an amount of radicals contained in the plasma being monitored. A unit for preheating a wafer is installed in a water transporting system.

Abstract: The purpose of the invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus capable of processing a substrate stably for a long period of time. The present plasma processing apparatus for processing a substrate placed on a substrate holder disposed in a processing chamber using a plasma generated in the processing chamber comprises at least one member detachably mounted on an inner wall surface of the processing chamber having a portion coated with a material different from a material coating the other portion.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing apparatus capable of processing a substrate stably for a long period of time. The plasma processing apparatus has a substrate holder disposed in a processing chamber and an electrode cover for protecting a support stage of said substrate holder, for processing a wafer placed on said support stage using a plasma generated in the processing chamber, wherein at least a surface of said electrode cover that is positioned directly below an edge of the wafer, or at least a surface of said electrode cover that comes into contact with plasma, is coated with a material having resistance to plasma and comprising Y2O3, Yb2O3 or YF3, or a mixture thereof, as its main component.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus capable of processing the surface of a workpiece more precisely is provided. The plasma processing apparatus for supplying a gas between a sample and a sample table to generate plasma for processing the sample, comprises an adjusting device for changing a pressure supplied to a central side of the sample and a pressure of the gas supplied to an outer peripheral side as processing of the sample progresses.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus having an electrostatic chucking electrode that allows temperature control of a semiconductor wafer during etching process with high efficiency comprises: a holder stage comprising an electrode block S having a dielectric film 4 on the surface thereof and a coolant flow passage 6 therein, in which temperature control is performed while holding a semiconductor wafer W on the dielectric film on the surface of the electrode block; and a cooling cycle 50 including a compressor 52, a condenser 55, an expansion valve 53, a heat exchanger 54 having a heater built therein, and an evaporator, wherein the temperature control of the electrode block S is performed by using a direct-expansion-type temperature controller in which the electrode block S is used as the evaporator of the cooling cycle, and the coolant is directly circulated and expanded inside the electrode block.

Abstract: A plasma is generated by feeding an antenna with radio-frequency electric power generated by a radio-frequency power source, and one end of the antenna is grounded to the earth through a capacitor of variable capacitance. A Faraday shield is electrically isolated from the earth, and the capacitance of the variable capacitor is determined to be such a value that the voltage at the two ends of the antenna may be equal in absolute values and inverted to reduce the partial removal of the wall after the plasma ignition. At the time of igniting the plasma, the capacitance of the capacitor is adjusted to a larger or smaller value than that minimizing the damage of the wall.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus provided with a holding stage of a system in which a temperature of an electrode block is controlled so as to control the temperature of a semiconductor wafer. The electrode block is provided with at least first and second independent temperature controllers on inner and outer sides thereof, and a slit for suppressing heat transfer is provided in the electrode block between the first and second temperature controllers.

Abstract: A plasma processing apparatus includes a vacuum chamber having a structure that surrounds a space where plasma is generated, a sample stage disposed in the chamber on which a sample to be processed is placed and coil antenna providing an electric field to the space. The structure has a non-conductive member surrounding the space and a conductive member covering the non-conductive member, both of which are disposed between the antenna and the space. The conductive member is electrically floated at least when the plasma is generated.